Sons And Daughters
by Ultrawoman
Summary: 3rd story of the trilogy sequel to 'The New Prince' CH18 FINAL CHAPTER. Please R&R.
1. What Child Is This?

A/N : So many people reviewed my last fic and asked me if I was going to right a third story to make a trilogy with 'Best For Baby' and 'The New Prince'. Originally, I did not plan to, but because you all asked so nicely and I had an idea start to form in my head, I have decided to write this third story in the series.

This story is dedicated to all those who requested it : sapofbks2002, CrazyNut2002, Lemon, swimcc, stargirl888, Phoebe Darklight, Angel (and the anonymous reviewer who might be the same one every time or might be several people I have no way of knowing!) - you lot asked for more and you're getting it!

I warn you in advance that I will not be able to update everyday like I did with my last fic but I will update as often as I can. I'm sure you can all be a little bit patient if you try. Okay here we go...

Disclaimer : I own Phillippe and Diana, the rest of the characters are Meg Cabot's.

The security guard answered the loud and rapid buzzing of the intercom at the front gate of the palace. He turned the cameras and he was surprised to see a young girl standing there with an impatient frown.

"Can I help you"

"I'd like to see my father" she said firmly, .

"Go away, child, your father is not here" he told her. He knew all the servants had their families living with them in and around the palace and over the past twenty years he had got to know them all quite well. He had definitely never seen this child before.

"My father is here!" the girl insisted, "I've seen him on the television with the Queen - I know he lives here!"

The guard was confused by this, so he moved the camera to check the area, in case the girl was merely a decoy for burglars or other such criminals, then he allowed the gates to open.

"Thankyou" she said, insincerely and began to march down the path and up to the doors of the palace of Genovia.

*********************************************************************

"Can you believe it's been two years?" Mia sighed. "A whole two years since our wedding" she said, peering out of the window over the gardens behind the palace.

Michael moved to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What I can't believe is that you are still as beautiful as the first day I saw you" he said, quietly. Mia smiled and turned in his arms so she was facing him.

"I love you" she told him, honestly.

"I know," her husband replied, "and I love you too" he concluded, kissing her deeply.

"Ahem" 

The sound of a man clearing his throat in the doorway brought the couple out of their embrace.

"I beg your pardon, your majesty" the man apologised, "but there is a young girl down stairs. She is quite upset and says she wishes to see her father"

"Who is her father?" Mia asked, stepping away from her husband, and trying to get her breath back.

"She will not tell us, your majesty. She seems to be under the impression that we should know anyway and that we are simply trying to keep her father from her. She says she has seen her father on the television with you, your highness" 

"But the only men who live in this house, with whom I would have appeared on television, are..." Mia turned pale and could not finish her sentence.

"Not Phillippe" Michael read her mind, "No he wouldn't..."

"Indeed no" the butler spoke quickly, "The child I speak of is not so young, she must be at least fourteen"

"Oh thank God" Mia sank into the nearest chair and let out a breath in sheer relief.

"Then who is her father?" Michael asked, "If not Phillippe then..."

Mia shot a look at him and tears formed in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Oh come on Mia, you don't seriously think that I....you know the only woman I've ever..., you know,....been with, is you" Michael was highly embarrassed at having to say such a thing in front of the servant but it was true. He knew absolutely that the only child he had fathered was Phillippe, the Prince of Genovia. Mia knew it too, but her head was in a whirl. If not Phillippe or Michael, who could be the child's father.

"I know" she told her husband, "I'm sorry, I just, I don't know what to think!"

"What would you like me to do with the girl?" the butler asked.

Mia made no answer and so Michael spoke.

"Send her away" he said quickly.

"No" Mia interrupted just as the butler was about to leave. "No, she has done nothing wrong and if she believes her father is here the least we can do is find out why she thinks such a ridiculous thing and then find out who her parents really are"

Michael could see the logic in that, but the whole thing made him uncomfortable. He knew that there was only one child in the world to whom he was a biological father but there was no telling what lies this girl might tell and although he knew Mia trusted him it would put a great strain on their relationship if the child insisted otherwise.

"Bring her to me" Mia said finally, and the servant scurried away to do his Queen's bidding. There was silence in the room until he returned with a young girl at his side.

"Your majesty, this is the child" he said, as a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes came into the room. She stood by the door, staring at the Queen and her husband.

"Thankyou" Mia signalled for the servant to leave and then turned her attention to the youngster before her.

"Good afternoon" she said with a smile.

"Good afternoon, your majesties" the girl said politely, with a half curtsey and a smile.

"Would you like to sit down?" Mia asked her and the child seated herself opposite the royal couple with a quick nod of her head.

"Now, would you like to tell me your name and why you're here?" Michael looked on as his wife conducted her interview of the child.

"My name is Diana your majesty and I am here to see my father, but the men downstairs would not let me"

"Perhaps if you told us who your father was it would be easier for us to fetch him" Mia tried.

"I beg your pardon, your majesty, but I think you of all people should know who my father is as you have known him most of your life"

Mia shot a second look at Michael. He would have been hurt but it was beginning to sound as if the girl was referring to him.

"Just tell us his name" Michael tried to hide his worry and impatience.

"My father, your highnesses, is your bodyguard. His name is Lars"

A/N : Well, what do you think? Let me know and I will update as soon as I can.


	2. Father and Daughter

A/N : Reviews! Reviews! I am so happy to have all these reviews! Okay, I'm calm now, but really, thanx a lot for all the reviews ; Anixia, reyn, Sky, Ali Simmons, Megan, macdeniken, max4cast, sapofbks2002, CrazyCanuck, Lemon, Patty, jackie, ndblue123, stargirl888, KrystinePotterLover; you are all great!

Oh btw; to clear up a few points...

- Phillippe was 16 in 'The New Prince' so now, two years later, he is 18.

- Michael is not King he is Prince Consort (title given to the person who marries a Queen who is monarch)

Okay, I think that's everything sorted so, here is chapter 2...

Disclaimer : Phillippe, Diana and Jackie are my creations all other characters belong to Meg Cabot.

"Lars?" Michael echoed in astonishment.

"He was married three times before I even knew him" Mia whispered but Diana heard her anyway.

"My mother was never married to my father" she said, quickly. "They met in New York twenty years ago"

"How old are you?" Mia checked.

"Fifteen, but I'll be sixteen in three months" the girl answered.

"So, your parents were together for five years?" Mia could not understand how she had missed that. Lars had had a girlfriend for five years whilst they were in New York?

"No, well not really..." Diana mumbled.

Mia and Michael both wanted to know what was going on but felt awful about grilling this poor child on her origins. Surely it would be better to ask Lars about it.

"Mom, Dad!" Phillippe called, as he swung into the room, "I was just wondering..." he stopped suddenly when he noticed .

"Hi" he said smiling at her. She knew he was the Prince of Genovia, she had seen him on TV too, but she looked at him with indifference and responded to his cheerful greeting with a flat 'hello'.

"Phillippe, I would like you to meet Diana, Diana this is Prince Phillippe, our son" Mia introduced the pair, and Phillippe continued to smile whilst Diana continued to ignore him.

"Sweetheart, do you know where Lars is at the moment?" Mia asked her son.

"Yeah, I was just talking to him upstairs, why?"

"Would you mind going back and telling him we'd like to see him, Phillippe" Michael said to his son.

"Sure" Phillippe agreed, and with a confused look, he left closing the door behind him.

"So, when was the last time you saw your father, Diana?" Michael was curious to know.

"Oh I've never met him sir" she answered, "He doesn't even know about me, my Mom never told him"

The Queen and her consort exchanged concerned looks just as a tap came on the door and Phillippe returned with Lars right behind him.

"You wish to speak with me your majesties" he said immediately.

"Yes, Lars" Michael began, "Phillippe could you give us a minute" he added, turning to his son. Phillippe nodded and left, but not without first giving another grin to Diana. She barely noticed. 

"Lars" Mia turned to her bodyguard and friend, "I'm not quite sure how to tell you this but, this is Diana" she said, gesturing toward the girl seated opposite her. Lars smiled at the child but did not really understand why he was being introduced to her or why his Queen and her husband looked so worried.

"Lars, Diana is..." Mia couldn't say it, she was so afraid of what reaction she might get. She glanced at Michael with a look that said 'Help me!' and he did just that.

"Lars, I'm just going to say this, Diana is your daughter"

The muscular man looked at Michael, just staring for a moment then he glanced at Mia before his gaze finally settled on the child he had just been told was his own. 

Diana smiled up at him, hoping he would be pleased with the news but not really certain that he would be.

"Hey Dad" she said, quietly.

"My daughter?" was all he could say.

"Lars, would you like to sit down?" Mia offered, noticing the paleness of his face and the shake in his voice.

"Thankyou" he said, seating himself beside the girl. "Jackie, you have to be Jackie's daughter" he said, his eyes fixed on Diana.

The girl nodded and smiled.

"Yes" she said simply, evidently glad that at least her father remembered her mother.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, for one thing, the last time I saw her, that would make you almost sixteen?"

Diana nodded again.

"And besides, you look so like your mother, it's uncanny" he smiled at his daughter. "Where is your mother?" he asked suddenly, realising that if his child were here that his old flame must be around too.

"She doesn't know I'm here" Diana mumbled.

"Then where is she?" Mia cut in, her voice filled with concern.

"She's still in New York"

A/N : I know, I know, another cliffhanger, but it keeps you reading doesn't it? I will try and get the next chapter up over the weekend so keep an eye out for that. Please keep reviewing so I know what you think of this. I thought it was only right that Lars should have a storyline, because we don't really know a whole lot about him from the books. There will probably be some M/M stuff and maybe some other romance too...(you'll just have to wait and see!)


	3. Curiosity

A/N : Okay, chapter 3 is here! Thanx to the following peops for the wonderful reviews on chapter 2 ; fantasy-dreamer, little-princess, CrazyCanuck (sorry if the chapters a little short but there should be lots of chapters to make up for the fact that they're short), jackie (sorry to disappoint, but she's not named after you) CrazyNut2002, swimcc, sapofbks2002, Cassandra Anthemyst, ndblue123.

Now on with the story...

Disclaimer : My characters - Phillippe, Diana, Jackie. Meg Cabot's characters - Mia, Michael, Lars, Kenny, Clarisse. I think that's everyone covered!

"You've come here from America without your mother!" Mia was astonished that a child could do such a thing.

"Yes, your majesty" Diana said, quietly, beginning to feel quite ashamed of what she'd done.

"Oh Diana, whatever possessed you?!" Mia said, quite shocked.

"Mia" Michael tried to calm his wife down, "it really is none of our business" he whispered. Mia knew he was right but it was a lot to take in. Her bodyguard, whom she entrusted life to everyday, had had a relationship, on and off for five years and yet she knew nothing about it and now out of the blue came this child, Lars's daughter whom even he did not know about.

"Maybe we should leave you two alone for a while" Michael suggested, taking his wife's hand.

"Yes, of course" she agreed, noticing the look on Michael's face, "We'll just be next door" she added, but neither Diana or Lars were listening. Both seemed to be in shock since their meeting, which of course, was quite understandable.

When Mia and Michael got outside the room they realised that Phillippe was standing there.

"Have you been listening at this door?" Michael hissed at him.

"No" Phillippe whispered his lie, but the look in his father's eyes brought out his confession of guilt, "Okay, yes, but I was curious. Did I hear right? Is she Lars's daughter?"

"Come here" Mia whispered, directing the two men to the next room. "Now perhaps we can speak at a reasonable volume" she added in the reasonable volume she had been talking about.

"So what's the deal?" Phillippe asked as soon as his mother had finished speaking.

"The deal is" Michael began, "Diana is Lars's daughter, but he didn't know about her"

"How old is she?" the prince wanted to know next.

"Almost sixteen" Michael told him.

"Where's she from?"

"New York" Michael answered again, "What is this Phillippe? Twenty questions?" he looked frustrated.

"I'm just curious, that's all" Phillippe turned defensive. The truth was he wanted to know all about this girl, everything he could find out. She had to be the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and he'd seen plenty of good looking girls, and rich girls and posh girls, but he could tell just by looking at her that Diana was different. He wasn't sure if he believed in love at first sight, but he definitely liked her and probably more than he should.

"So how come Lars didn't know about her?" Phillippe dared to ask another question as he sat down between his parents who had already seated themselves on the large sofa in the room.

"Diana's mother, Jackie, never told him she was pregnant. Lars came back to Genovia with me when I was pregnant with you and I had married Kenny, but after that he did go back to New York twice with Grandmere. I can only assume that it was on the second of those trips that Jackie became pregnant"

"Your Grandmere and Lars were in New York after you'd left?" Michael asked.

"Yes", Mia nodded, "but I don't think I was ever told why" she added thoughtfully. 

"You don't think they came over because of Jackie do you?" Michael tried.

"No" Mia shook her head and almost laughed, "that's ridiculous. Why would my Grandmere take Lars back to the USA to see his girlfriend? And even if she had, why would he go over twice and then never go back?"

"Well, the only person who can answer that is Lars" Michael concluded, just as a tap came on the door.

"Come in!" the Queen called.

"Your majesty, may I speak with you and your family" Lars asked as he entered the room, "I feel I should explain to you, as well as my daughter, how Diana came to be. I think I can also explain why I did not know of her existence"

Mia smiled at the man she called her friend as well as her bodyguard.

"You do not have to explain to us" she told him, "but we will listen to whatever you want to tell us"

"Thankyou, your majesties" he said, smiling at all three of them, "I will fetch Diana"

A/N : More coming soon, I promise. In the meantime, please REVIEW - you know how much it means to me and it might even spur me on to write and post faster.


	4. The Ballad Of Jackie and Lars

A/N : Chapter 4 is here! Thanx to all you wonderful reviewers again.

To CrazyCanuck - sorry, yes that was a spelling error

To Moonlight - I would love to be an author, but I doubt I'd be good enough really

To sapofbks2002, CrazyNut2002, ndblue123, KrystinePotterLover, Cassandra Anthemyst, Slytherin Chick, Stella Puro-Sangue - here is more as requested!

Okay, thanx again to all of you - you are all wonderful!!!

Now on with this story...

Disclaimer : I own Diana, Phillippe & Jackie but I do not own anybody else.

In a room, in a palace in a small European principality called Genovia, the Queen, her husband and her son sat opposite the man in charge of their security and his fifteen year old daughter whose existence had been kept from him until now.

"I feel I owe you all an explanation" Lars told the people in the room, "and this is it". 

"When I first came to New York I acted as driver and bodyguard to Queen Amelia, or Princess Mia as she was then. Whilst I was in New York I met a woman named Jackie Roberts. We were of roughly the same age and we got on well. She was a beautiful girl, blonde and blue eyed and in time I fell in love with her. We saw quite a bit of each other for a while, but it got complicated. I was a bodyguard and my job was dangerous and took a lot of my time and it was stressful for both Jackie and I. We fought about my job many times but we always got over our disagreements because we loved each other. I never told anyone of our relationship because I did not want to put Jackie in any danger. As you know yourselves, it is possible for people such as royalty and those close to them to become targets and I did not want anyone who was out to get me to use Jackie as a means of attack and so no-one knew of our great love affair. No-one except Her Majesty, the Dowager Princess. Clarice needed my assistance one day but I was nowhere to be found. She had a servant call me on my mobile phone whilst I was at Jackie's and she answered it. Clarice would not let the subject go until I had told her everything. I had worried that she might be angry but she seemed to understand that I was in love and why I had kept my secrecy.

When the Princess fell pregnant with the young Prince, and she married Kenny, it was decided that they were to move to Genovia full time and obviously I would have to go with them. I was in two minds whether to give up my job and stay with Jackie but she refused to let me do it. She knew my job was my life and she would never allow me to give it up. I asked her to come to Genovia with me but she said she was not sure and that she would think about it. She had a job and all her family and friends in New York and would be hard for her to give all that up. I am sure that there are people in this room who understand that.

Anyway, after the wedding and the move back to Genovia I visited Jackie on two occasions. The Dowager Princess made my visits appear necessary and accompanied me to New York where it would appear she was on a state visit and I was simply there as her head of security. 

The first visit was wonderful. I spent every spare moment with the woman I loved and during that time I asked her to marry me. She made me the happiest man alive when she agreed to be my wife but she swore me to secrecy. Our love and our engagement was not to be revealed yet, as we were sure if the papers caught hold of the story there would be a scandal. You can imagine what the press would have thought of a young princess's bodyguard visiting a woman in New York when he should have been doing his job.

It was agreed that I would visit again in a few months when Jackie had had time to tell her family about me and sort out about leaving America to come and live here with me. I went over as planned, again with Clarice, and together Jackie and I had a wonderful week, but two days before we were due to come back to Genovia, bringing my fiancée with us, she told me it was over. She admitted that she had told her family about our relationship and they had not approved. They thought that I was wrong for her and they did not want her to move so far away. When it came to a choice between her family and me, Jackie chose her family, a decision which I do not blame her for at all, as I soon realised it was probably for the best, but at the time I was heart broken. We travelled from New York, not straight back to Genovia, but to the Dowager Princess's castle at Miragnac. We stayed for a week and Clarice was very kind allowing me time to get over what had happened before we returned to the palace here in Genovia.

The Princess and her husband never knew anything about it and I am assuming that it was on that final trip that Diana came to be. Due to the difficulty of our parting, I am not surprised that Jackie did not inform me of her pregnancy. Her family would still have been against our relationship, with a child or without, and it was probably easier for her to carry on in New York and bring Diana up alone than to tell me and cause an uproar. 

Now, Diana is grown, and she had never been told of my existence until a few days ago, when she found her birth certificate. Despite our parting, Jackie had my name put on the certificate to show that I was the father of her child, even though she never told me. Diana was impatient to know me, which I am of course thankful for, and she used al her savings to buy a plane ticket to get here. Unfortunately, she knew her mother would never allow her to visit me and so she has runaway leaving only a short note explaining what she has done.

All that I have left to say, your majesties is that I apologise for keeping such events a secret from you and also that I hope you will find it in your hearts to allow my illegitimate daughter to stay here with me until I can contact her mother and arrange something with her as to what is best to be done"

A/N : I will try and update faster if I can, but in the meantime - please keep reviewing. It really does keep me writing, if you keep letting me know how much you like the story.


	5. Reactions

A/N : Even though the last chapter only got 5 reviews (not a complaint just an observation) I have decided to post two chapters today, because I have been working hard on this fic and I'm feeling generous!

Thanx to ndblue123, CrazyNut2002, Cassandra Anthemyst, Crazy Canuck and KrystinePotterLover for the reviews, and here is the next TWO chapters...

Disclaimer : Refer to previous chapters (because I can't be bothered to write it all again!) 

Mia was stunned to hear the story that Lars had just told. She could hardly believe that his man whom she loved and trusted like one of her family had kept such a secret from her. She was not angry, not in the least but she was shocked. 

Michael was also equally stunned. He and Lars had become friends years ago when Mia was just fourteen and Michael seventeen. Although he had never come out and told him, Lars knew from the beginning that Michael was in love with Mia and did everything he could to help the couple even before they had started 'going out'. This is what made Michael so shocked to realise that he did not have the same ability. Lars had known so easily that he was in love with Mia and yet Michael had been oblivious to his friends romance in New York.

Phillippe really had no opinion on Lars's story because, if he was completely honest, he had not heard half of it. Diana had not taken her gaze from her father and in the same way the young princes eyes had been locked on her. It wasn't only that she was beautiful but she seemed to radiate a strength and an attitude that he found interesting and exciting.

All the girls that Phillippe met were other royals or daughters of presidents and dukes and other important dignitaries. They wore expensive clothes by top designers and had their hair and make up done by the highest paid professionals possible and yet to Phillippe they had nowhere near the amount of beauty that Diana had as she sat there in her blue jeans, black T-shirt and worn denim jacket. She wore no make up and her dirty-blonde coloured hair fell around her face, clean but by no means tidy.

Phillippe also knew she did not share the personality or the attitude of other girls. The semi-royal, high class girls he had met were always nice to him and he knew why. They wanted to marry a future king so that one day they might be Queen of Genovia and it made him sick. Diana seemed different. She was willing to defy her mother and runaway to a completely different continent just to do what she believed was right. That was the kind of girl Phillippe wanted to marry. He wasn't sure, however that Diana would feel the same about him. It was true that most girls did, but Diana was different to most girls and that was the point. His train of thought was interrupted as his mother began to speak.

"Phillippe, would you show Diana to the Lilac room upstairs," she asked her son before turning to the girl, "Diana, you are to stay here near your father until we can contact your mother and come to some arrangement with her, okay?"

"Thankyou, your majesty" Diana stood up and half curtseyed to the Queen.

"You're welcome, my dear" Mia told her and then signalled for Phillippe to go worth her at once. He did as he was told without complaint. He had been ordered to spend time with a girl he thought he could be falling in love with. He was hardly going to turn down the opportunity, was he?!

As soon as the two young people were out of the room, Mia turned to Michael and Lars.

"Diana can stay as long as it is appropriate, we are happy to have her here, aren't we Michael?"

"Of course" her husband smiled, "Lars, you are practically family to us and through you Diana is too, but I do think we should contact her mother"

"Oh yes, Jackie must be told that Diana is safe" Lars said at once, "but it has been so long since I have spoken to her and..."

Mia wasn't sure if Lars was going to cry or not but he was certainly beyond speaking so she helped him out.

"Would you like me to call her Lars? I assume you have a number?"

Lars nodded and smiled.

"Yes, thankyou, your majesty, you are very kind. Diana assures me their telephone number has not changed"

"Very well then" Mia smiled, "I will call her immediately and let her know what is going on. I am sure when I explain she will not be angry" she said, but Lars what not so sure. He did not tell the Queen but he was almost certain that Jackie was going to be far from happy when she realised exactly what Diana had done. Running away, spending all her savings, catching a plane and coming to the Genovian palace to find him. She would definitely be far from happy, but unhappy enough to yell at royalty? Anything was possible with Jackie.

A/N : On to chapter 6.....


	6. I'll Be There For You

A/N : What are the kids up to.....

Disclaimer : Refer to previous chapters (because I can't be bothered to write it all again!) 

"So, you're Lars's daughter?" Phillippe attempted to make conversation as he walked with Diana from the room where their parents were to the Lilac room upstairs, which was to be Diana's bedroom whilst she stayed in the palace. 

"Well, yeah, why else would I be here?!" Diana was not pleased about having to make small talk with the young prince.

"Sorry, I was just making conversation..."

"Why?" she interrupted him, a crime that a lesser person would not have dared to commit, "Why do you want to talk to me?"

"Well, because" Phillippe searched for a suitable answer. He could hardly tell her he wanted to talk to her because he liked her or maybe even loved her, he didn't even know her! He knew she would think he was insane if he said that. 

"Because you seem like a nice person and I was just being friendly" 

He cursed himself inwardly when he realised how stupid that had sounded.

"Yeah, well I don't need you to be my friend, I have friends of my own, y'know people like me who I have things in common with" the girl snapped. It wasn't that she wanted to be rude but she felt like she had to be. Being alone in a strange house, in a strange country, meeting a father she didn't know, not to mention a royal family, in all honesty, it petrified her and the only way she knew to cope was to turn on the defensive shield and be insulting and obnoxious to anyone who tried to be nice to her. She was okay with her father and she made a special effort to be polite to the Queen, because, let's face it, who would be stupid enough to dis a queen? But everyone else was free to be hit full on by Diana's sarcasm and rudeness that she used as guard against her fears.

"How do you know we don't have anything in common?" Phillippe was curious. The pair had arrived at the room that was to be Diana's for the time being and he opened the door for her as he spoke.

"Are you kidding?" Diana laughed as she stepped into the room, "What could we possible have in common?" She looked around the room and attempted to take it all in. She could easily see why this room was called the Lilac room, everything was indeed lilac, and by everything, she meant EVERYTHING. The curtains, the bedclothes, the walls, the carpet, everything. What seemed strange to Diana was how exactly the Queen knew her favourite colour was purple but she assumed correctly that it was luck more than judgement that she had been given a room that was so beautiful to her.

"You like the room then?" Phillippe asked as he saw her face brighten.

"It's not bad" she under-stated, still on the defensive. 

"There you see, we do have something in common" Phillippe announced with a smile. Diana eyed him strangely, so he explained, "We both like purple" he said simply, she laughed a tiny laugh, but her mood changed all to quickly and she cursed herself when she felt tears escape her eyes.

Phillippe saw the drops roll down her cheeks and felt a pain in his chest. He didn't want to see her cry.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked gently.

"Nothing" she lied, rubbing the back of her hand across her face to displace the tears that had fallen there. "It's just, at home I.... my room, it's..." her tears overcame her and she cried whole-heartedly. Phillippe thought he understood.

"It reminds you of home?" Diana nodded sadly. At home, in New York, the apartment she lived in with her mother was not much but it meant the world to her. Her room had been decorated by herself and her mother in all shades of lilac and this room had just reminded her how far away she was from her home and her Mom.

Phillippe could not stand it anymore and he moved towards her. He put an arm around her shoulders in an aid to comfort her but she pushed him away.

"Please, just leave me alone!" she yelled, angry that she had let him see how weak she really was.

"Diana, I was just trying to..."

"Please, just leave me alone!" she repeated and, not wanting to cause her any further pain, Phillippe did as she asked. 

As he closed the door he said one last thing.

"If you need me, I'll be here" he said softly as he closed the door behind him. 

When he had gone, Diana collapsed onto her temporary bed in a fresh flood of tears. Had coming here been the biggest mistake of her life?

A/N : Okay, I've written enough today - now it's your turn to write in the form of reviews! I will try and update again and the weekend but I remind you that the more reviews I get, the more I will be driven to write. Hope you all like where this is going and like I say, I'll try and get the next chapter up over the weekend.


	7. Hanging On The Telephone

A/N : Hi, I'm back with another chapter. Thanx to the following for reviewing the last two chapters; macdeniken, ndblue123, Cassandra Anthemyst, CrazyNut2002, Patty, Crazy Canuck, sapofbks2002 and special thanx to KrystinePotterLover for two reviews on this story and also the review on my other story 'Loving By Numbers'

This chapter is the telephone conversation between Mia and Jackie, about Diana coming to Genovia, and so it is all dialogue.

"Hello? Diana?"

"Hello, is that Miss Roberts? Jackie Roberts?"

"Who's asking?"

"This is Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Moscovitz Renaldo, Queen of Genovia"

"Oh my God, your highness, I'm so sorry for my rude tone, I had no idea..."

"That's quite all right, Miss Roberts"

"Oh please, call me Jackie, your highness"

"Okay, Jackie, then you must call me Mia"

"Oh really, your highness I couldn't..."

"Yes Jackie, you could. All my friends call me Mia and I want us to be good friends. Jackie I'm calling because your daughter is here in Genovia. I understand from Diana that my bodyguard and friend, Lars, is her father"

"Yes, your maj-, I mean Mia. I only found her note when I arrived home from work a few moments ago. I have spent the last few minutes trying to think what I should do and also to remember Lars's cellphone number, but my mind went blank. I'm just so glad you called. Is my baby, okay?"

"Yes Jackie, Diana is fine. Lars was a little worried that you would not approve of your daughter meeting her father"

"Well, in all honesty, your hi-, Mia, I wasn't happy about the idea, but I understand that Di want's to know him. I don't know exactly what Lars has told you about me but I want you to know I loved him and I love my little girl. I never told her that he was her father, I never told her who her father was because I thought it would be easier all round but as Di got older it got harder and then the other day, I'm sure she has told you, she found her birth certificate and I was forced to tell her the truth"

"It's okay, Jackie. Yes, Diana has told us what happened and I want you to know I did not call you to cause an argument or attempt to lecture you in any way. I know what it is to be in love and I also know how hard it can be when your family does not approve of your choices in life. All I wanted to tell you was that Diana is safe and welcome to stay here as long as you permit it so that she may get to know her father. Of course, you may come to Genovia and stay at the palace too, if you wish"

"Oh Mia, you are very kind but, but I haven't got the 'resources' that you have and plane tickets are not cheap, especially this time of year..."

"Jackie, I obviously did not make myself clear, I'm sorry. I will pay for you to fly here, I will pay for anything you need, and if you decide to come you may take over as much of the palace as you need too during your stay here"

"You really are too kind, and we do not deserve your generosity"

"Nonsense. Lars is not simply my bodyguard he is my friend, in fact more than that, he is like one of the family to us. His daughter and her mother are therefore equally important to us and we, my husband and I, will help you in any way we can"

"Thankyou, Mia, I really don't know what else to say"

"Say you will come to Genovia. I long to meet the mother of such a wonderful child as Diana and perhaps it is time that you spoke to Lars again?"

"I don't know if I can face him. I take it he has told you what I did?"

"Well, yes, he said your family did not want you to marry him and move away"

"That's partly true, yes, at least that is what I told him. If I am completely honest my family's disapproval was the last straw. There were other reasons for not marrying Lars and the primary one was just me"

"I don't think I understand"

"I was scared. Scared of making such a commitment, scared of moving away, scared of what might happen, just scared about everything and instead of talking about it and coming to some sort of sensible compromise, I just made an excuse and turned my back on him"

"It's okay to be scared"

"I was even more scared when I became pregnant, to scared to tell Lars. I still didn't know whether I wanted to marry him or move away with him and I didn't know if he'd even want me when he found out I was carrying his child. After Di was born I felt like it was too late, that if I told him now it would only make matters worse, so I kept her a secret from him and him a secret from her, until now"

"I'm sure he forgives you Jackie and if you tell him what you just told me, I'm sure everything will be fine"

"May I make a confession to you Mia?"

"If you wish"

"I am still scared, but for a different reason now. I'm scared that if I see Lars again I 

will fall in love with him all over again"

"That's not possible"

"Why not?"

"When you fall in love with some one, truly fall in love with them, you never fall out of it to be able to fall back in. If you still love him when you see him again then you never stopped loving him in the first place, and you will know that what you feel is true love"

"I will come to Genovia, Mia. On the first available flight"

"Good, I look forward to your arrival. Let us know what flight you are catching so we know when to expect you"

"I will. Bye Mia and thankyou, you don't know how much I mean that"

"Goodbye Jackie, and believe me, you are completely welcome"

A/N : Please go and review right now and I will update again as soon as I can.


	8. Home Sickness and Princess Dresses

A/N : Desperately trying to keep up with reading and reviewing other peoples fics as well as writing and posting my own. I hope I am updating ast enough for you, beleive me I am doing my best.

Thanx to the following for the wonderful reviews ; ndblue123, CrazyCanuck, KrystinePotterLover, Cassandra Anthemyst, Becca, CrazyNut2002. There will be some romance in this story, I'm not saying who it involves but I don't think anyone will be dissappointed. Just be patient and the time will come.

Okay, now on to the next chapter.....

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1) 

Mia returned to the room where she had left her husband with Lars.

"I have called her and explained everything" she smiled, "and she'd coming over as soon as she can get a flight out"

Lars smiled too. It had been sixteen years since he'd last seen Jackie and he looked forward to seeing her again. He had never stopped loving her, he knew that and only hoped there was a chance that they could be friends now, at the very least.

"I told her she could stay here as long as she wants" Mia continued, seating herself next to Michael again.

"Well, it's not like we haven't got the room" her husband grinned, "She could have a whole wing to herself and we probably wouldn't even notice she was here!" A small laugh came from each person in the room as Phillippe walked in.

"What's the joke?" he asked.

"Oh nothing" his mother dismissed his question. "Diana's mother is coming to Genovia and she is going to stay in the palace"

Phillippe smiled, happy I the thought that Diana would be staying a while. He was desperate to get to know her and hoped in time that she might open up to him a little more. At the very least he hoped they could be friends. 

"Maybe when her Mom comes she won't be so home sick" he said thoughtfully as he sat down near his parents.

"Home sick?" Lars repeated.

"Yeah, the room reminded of home and she got upset. I tried to cheer her up but she told me to leave. I think she just needs some time on her own"

"In that case, we'll give her that. She's probably tired from all the travelling she's done, plus being in a strange house in a foreign country, it would make anyone feel a little out of sorts" Mia told him, "I'm sure after some sleep and once her mother arrives, the child will feel much better and much happier"

Jackie called the palace later in the day and informed them of her flight details. With the time difference accounted for, Diana's mother would arrive at the Genovian Airport at 12:37pm the following day.

Mia decided she should be the one to inform Diana of her mothers plans. 

"She might find it easier to talk to a woman" she told the three men, Lars, Michael and Phillippe, as she swept out of the room and up the stairs to Diana's room.

She tapped gently on the door and on hearing the child's voice call, 'come in' she ventured into the room.

"Diana, how are you feeling?"

"Your majesty!" the girl jumped up from her bed, quite startled to see the Queen, "I did not know it was you"

"You do not have to stand when I come in the room" Mia laughed, "You are a guest here and you are the daughter of my friend, and you may call me Mia"

"Really?" said the child, stunned by the Queen's familiarity and lack of formality.

"Of course" Mia smiled, seating herself on the edge of the bed and beckoning for Diana to join her.

"Now, I came here to tell you that your mother is coming over and she will arrive in Genovia tomorrow lunch time. You and she are to stay here at the palace for a while while you get to know your father, okay?"

"Thankyou" Diana said, honestly, "I really am very grateful to you"

"That's okay" Mia hugged the girl, "You are very welcome. So, are you feeling better now? I understand from my son that you were upset"

Diana felt embarrassed and looked away.

"I'm okay" she said quietly, "Just a little home sick, I guess, but if Mom's coming I'll be fine" she perked up a little now and smiled at the Queen.

"Good" Mia smiled back. "We'll be having dinner soon so if you want to have a shower and get changed now would be a good time. You did bring some clothes didn't you?"

Diana looked away again and shook her head silently.

"I was so eager to get here and it was just easier if I had no luggage to carry..."

"It's okay" Mia interrupted, seeing that the child was on the verge of tears again. "We'll find you something. I still have a lot of my dresses from when I was your age, something is bound to be to your liking"

The young girl smiled.

"Princess dresses?" she asked.

"Yes" Mia had to laugh at the child's excited tone, "Princess dresses. I just couldn't bear to throw some of them out, even though I only wore some of them once. I have two rooms full of clothes, so really there has to be something suitable"

"Thankyou" Diana hugged her, "for everything"

A/N : Please review, as always, and I will try and hurry up with the next chapter!


	9. An Evening With The Royals

A/N : Thanx for the reviews; ndblue123, CrazyNut2002, Crazy Canuck, sapofbks2002, Starbright, Cassandra Anthemyst (yeah, I know Diana doesn't seem like the kind of girl who'd appreciate the dresses but a lot of her behaviour is an act to hide how she really feels and yes, you'd still expect her to pretend to hate them, but I think she would trust Mia enough to me herself around her. She doesn't really have anything to hide as far as Mia is concerned, but she does have other feelings that she needs to hide from other people...if you can't figure out what I mean by that, you'll find out in later chapters)

Okay, on to the next chapter, hope you like it!

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

The dining room looked incredible to Diana. She had never seen such a beautifully decorated room or such a wonderfully set dinner table, all in white and gold. Her dress matched the rooms decoration, mostly white with gold edging and white silk shoes, all of which Mia had lent to her, telling her she had worn it only the once, years ago to a school dance where she had had her first kiss with her now husband, Michael. His reaction to Diana's appearance was one of surprise.

"I've seen that dress before" he smiled as Diana floated into the room. He turned his gaze to Mia who entered the room with the blonde girl, in her own peach dress with a small crown on her head.

"Yes you have" she grinned, "I hope you remember the night you first saw it"

"As if I would ever forget" he said, kissing his wife gently.

Diana looked uncomfortable, so Mia pulled back from her husband and whispered, "Later, darling, not in front of the guests" she giggled.

Lars told his daughter she looked beautiful and she was happy that her father approved of her outfit. She had chosen it herself from a collection of several dozen that Mia had offered her.

"Where is Phillippe?" Mia spoke quietly to her husband as Lars and Diana continued to chat between themselves.

"Still getting ready" he told her with a smile, "I think he might be trying to impress someone"

"Oh, I did wonder if I'd spotted something there" Mia admitted, "now that would be an interesting alliance"

"Mia, please don't tell me you're going to start matchmaking our son with our bodyguards daughter" Michael rolled his eyes.

"Of course not" Mia said indignantly, "If it's going to happen it will, just like it did with us"

"Let's just hope that if it's going to happen, that it doesn't take quite as long for them as it did for us to find a happy ending" Michael smiled, and right on queue, the young prince appeared in the doorway.

"Finally," Mia sighed, "we were beginning to wonder if you were going to join us"

Diana giggled at the Queen's comment to her son, but as she turned around her expression changed. Dressed up in his suit, with his hair combed and everything, Diana had to admit that Prince Phillippe was definitely something to see. When she had first met him, she had not taken a huge amount of notice at what he looked like and besides, he had not exactly been smartly dressed or anything, although in fairness, neither had she.

Phillippe turned his attention to Diana when he heard her laugh and for a moment they stood, facing each other, in silence. From the first moment he had seen her, he knew he liked her a lot, and he knew she was beautiful, but now, in this dress, with her hair styled and her make-up done, she was breath-taking.

The moment was broken by a butler announcing that the dinner was ready and that perhaps the royals and their friends would like to take their seats. Naturally Mia sat at the head of the table with Michael to her right and Lars to her left. Phillippe sat next to his father, and Diana sat next to her's, placing the two young people opposite each other once more.

Diana spent the entire meal trying to avoid the young man's gaze, although she knew it was upon her most of the time. The conversation at the table was varied and included the topics of Diana's mother and her life in New York as well as stories about Mia and Michael, and also about Lars. Phillippe was fairly quiet and normally at least one of his parents would have commented on this fact, as their son was usually very talkative, but today they knew why he was silent. They suspected that their only son, the Crown Prince of Genovia, Phillippe Renaldo, was in love, with Diana.

Love perhaps, was too strong a word for it. The prince was merely eighteen and the girl not quite sixteen, but there was a least an attraction, Mia thought as she watched the odd glances and looks between the two young people. It was definite that Phillippe liked Diana, and although she hid it well, Mia was almost certain that Diana felt the same about the prince and she told Michael what she suspected after the meal was over. 

Lars sat with his daughter on a sofa in one of the many sitting rooms in the palace with Phillippe on a chair, nearby, and the Queen and her husband shared a second sofa a few feet away.

"Are you sure she likes him?" Michael whispered to his wife, "she's barely looked at him all night"

"Trust me" Mia smiled, "It's a girl thing. I see it because I'm female and you're oblivious to it because your male. It's the way these things work"

"Then how come we both know that Phillippe likes her" Michael thought he'd found a flaw in her logic, but he was wrong.

"Because he is a man, and men are obvious in everything, including their feelings" she told him.

"You didn't know that I had feelings for you, when we were younger" Michael reminded her.

"I did" Mia smiled and Michael looked at her curiously, "In my heart, Michael. In my heart, I always knew"

A/N : As usual, please review and I'll post again as soon as I can.


	10. Mother

A/N : Hey, let me start with a big thank you to my reviewers; THANKYOU!

Okay now that's done, here's a few messages/answers;

To Cassandra Anthemyst - glad you approve of Phillippe/Diana because there is more coming soon.....

To Crazy Canuck - I'm not sure how many chapters there will be. I've planned up to chapter14 at the moment but it will probably be longer than that in the end.

To Starbright - I'm 18, I thought I was already grown up?! lol.....and yes I would love to be a published author.

To KrystinePotterLover (who is possibly my biggest fan - so many reviews, I am so happy!) - Thanx for the review and I am updating as fast as I can!

To ndblue123 - Thanx for the review and I am writing as fast as I can, honest!

Now, what else do I need to say? 

Oh yes, here is the next chapter.....

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"Mom!" Diana screamed and ran into her mothers arms. The limo had been sent to pick Jackie up from the airport and the woman had had time to get out of the vehicle before her daughter burst through the palace doors to greet her with open arms and a huge smile.

"How are you, baby?" Jackie almost cried with relief at seeing Diana again. 

"I'm fine" the girl half lied. She was fine, really, especially now that she had her mother here with her, but she was still hurting inside. It had been hard for her when she found out about Lars being her father and it had also been hard to be without her mother, even if it was only for a couple of days. Diana and Jackie were usually inseparable. Being as Diana only had her mother and no father, she had become even closer to her than in a normal mother-daughter relationship. They were best-friends as well as parent and child and it was hard for Diana to accept that her mother had kept such a secret as this from her all these years.

"You gave me the fright of my life, when I realised what you'd done" Jackie looked seriously at her daughter, "I'm just so glad you're safe"

"I am sorry" Diana said genuinely, "I just wanted to meet my father"

"You shouldn't be apologising" her mother told her, "I should. I never should have kept Lars a secret"

The mother and daughter reunion was interrupted by Mia and Michael's presence.

"Jackie, I'm so pleased to meet you" Mia smiled and hugged the woman as she turned her attention away from her daughter and over to her hostess.

"Thankyou, your highn-, Mia" she corrected herself, "it is an honour to meet you"

Mia smiled and introduced her husband to Jackie, before leading everyone into the palace.

Just beyond the door Lars was waiting with Phillippe by his side. The young prince had felt that someone ought to stay with the nervous bodyguard whilst Mia, Michael and Diana brought Jackie inside. Lars had been a good friend to Phillippe all his life and he felt very close to him, almost like a second, or rather a third, father. 

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Why would I be nervous?" Lars replied, quickly.

"I don't know" Phillippe shrugged, "I just thought that seeing Jackie after all this time, maybe you'd be nervous"

"I'm fine" the older man, snapped and immediately regretted his tone. "I apologise for my abrupt manner, Phillippe, I just..." In truth, Lars was not sure what he was feeling or what he was thinking. He was nervous. Nervous and worried about what Jackie might think of him now. He knew in his heart that he still loved her as much as he had always loved her and deep inside he hoped that she might still feel something for him, although he was fairly sure he stood no chance of ever being more to her than the father of her child and her ex-fiancé.

There was silence as the doors swung open and Lars and Jackie came face to face with each other. Mia immediately signalled to Michael that they should leave them alone and then to Phillippe too. She was not sure, however whether to leave Diana with them or whether to encourage her to give her parent a few moments alone. As it turned out, she did not need to make a decision.

"I'll take your bags, upstairs for you Mom" Diana said quickly and was gone before Jackie could argue. There was of course no need for Diana to carry the luggage upstairs at all. There were plenty of servants who were paid to do such tasks, but no-one argued with her. It was obvious she had had the same thought as the Queen. Lars and Jackie needed a few moments alone.

"I'll help her" Phillippe said quickly, practically running after the girl he felt he was falling in love with.

The two young people disappeared up the staircase and Michael and Mia, slipped away to the next room, making sure they dismissed all the nearby servants as they went, leaving Lars and Jackie alone in the main foyer.

"Hi" the blonde woman said nervously.

"Hi" the man answered with the same word.

"It's been a long time" Jackie fidgeted nervously as she tried to make conversation.

"Yes and,....I missed you" Lars dared to admit.

"I missed you too" she assured him.

There was silence for a moment before Jackie finally said what she felt needed to be said.

"Look, I'm so sorry about Diana, I really should have told you and I should have told her too but I was scared. I didn't know what you'd say or if you'd want a child. I didn't know what I wanted at the time and, well, I'm sorry" she rambled, and looked close to tears but Lars smiled.

"You haven't changed" he told her.

She smiled at that. Without even saying it she knew he had forgiven her. She had hoped that he would.

"Neither have you" she told him, and really, it was true. It may have been sixteen since they last saw each other but they hadn't really changed that much. Another thing that hadn't changed was how they felt.

Lars knew, before he'd even seen Jackie today, that he still loved her, and now all he wanted to do was tell her, but telling the woman he loved how he felt was a frightening thing for the bodyguard. He could face men with guns, attackers and assassins, but ask him to tell Jackie how he feels about her and he was petrified.

All Jackie could think as she stood a few feet from this man was how right Mia had been. She had said that when Jackie saw Lars she would know if she still loved him because you can't fall in love with the same person twice, you must have been in love with them all the time and that love is true.

Jackie knew just how right the Queen had been now. She still loved Lars, there was no doubt in her mind, but how could she tell him when she didn't know if he felt the same?

A/N : As usual, please review and I will update soon. Your reviews mean a lot and they really do make me update faster, honest! :)


	11. Young Love

A/N : I thought it was about time I updated. I'm writing so many fics all at once, it stops me from updating as often as I used to, but I am trying to be quick.

Thanx to the following people for all the reviews; Crazy Canuck (yep, there will be more than 14 chapters), sapofbks2002, Cassandra Anthemyst (it might not take as long as you'd think...), KrystinePotterLover (I'm going as fast as I can), ndblue123, Cards.

Now, if you like the idea of Phillippe and Diana, then this is for you..... 

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"I don't need any help!" Diana snapped at Phillippe as he tried to take one of the bags from her hand.

"You can't carry that lot on your own" he argued but she was adamant that she could cope without him.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?!" 

"Because I happen to like you," Phillippe practically shouted at her, "and I don't see why that is such a problem for you!"

Diana laughed, humourlessly, not able to believe that he hadn't worked it out on his own.

"You're a Prince" she said, loudly.

"So?" he did not see her point at all.

"You are the son of a Queen!" Diana ranted, "You've lived in a palace all your life, with expensive furniture and clothes and servants to do everything for you. You could probably have anything you wanted. Me, I live in New York, in a tiny apartment, just me and my Mom. She works all hours just so we have enough money to pay the rent, buy food and clothes, and put a little by for the future. I know it's not really your fault" she continued, as tears came to her eyes, "but you had everything that I didn't have" she sobbed as she said the last sentence "and what makes it worse is that you actually had my father too". She dropped the bag from her hand, with a sudden thud, and attempted to cover her face as her tears fell.

Phillippe could not bear to see the girl cry. He stepped cautiously towards her and took her in him arms.

Initially she flinched away but then decided to allow herself to fall into his grasp. He held her close as her tears continued to fall like rain from her blue eyes.

"Hey, its okay" he told her, gently, "I do understand, y'know. I only met my real Dad two and a half years ago. I know what it's like to find out you've been lied to, that a secret has been kept from you, but you have to realise, like I did, that no-one ever meant to hurt you, they were just trying to protect you". He spoke comfortingly as he rocked her in his arms and she sobbed into his chest.

Diana knew he was not to blame for her distress, in truth no-one was really to blame. Phillippe was right. Her family were only trying to protect her, even if it didn't feel that way. What Diana knew for sure was that she felt protected now, in the arms of the Prince. She had spent so much of her time trying to avoid the fact that he obviously liked her because she was angry at him and everybody else, for the great betrayal she felt had been committed. Also, she was afraid to be honest with herself about what she might feel for him and she had attempted to convince herself that she did not like him at all. It would be complicated, difficult, and complicated a couple more times, if she allowed herself to fall for this guy, but at that moment it didn't matter. Here in the arms of Phillippe Renaldo, Diana felt as safe as she possibly could. Safe and, very possibly, in love.

"Diana, I will never let anyone hurt you ever again" he whispered to her. She had stopped crying now but she was in no hurry to leave his arms.

"Do you promise?" she asked, her voice still shaky. He loosened his grip on her and moved so he was looking into her face.

"I promise" he told her sincerely, "Nothing and nobody will ever hurt you again"

"I believe you" she said, quietly, and it was true. She did believe him and the longer she stood there, his arms around her, looking into his eyes, the more she knew that she was in love with him.

It was the power of the love she was feeling that resulted in the action she took next. Without another word, she pulled herself up and pressed her lips against his. To say the young prince was surprised, would have been an understatement. He was so surprised by her sudden affection that he did not even have a chance to kiss her back before the moment was lost. 

Diana knew she had surprised him. In truth, she had surprised herself and it did not matter that their first kiss was not a major experience or a passionate embrace. It was a symbol of what she felt. It was a simple way of letting him know how she felt about him without having to verbalise all the emotions she was having.

"I should move these bags and go back downstairs" she whispered, as she smiled and slipped out of his arms. She scooped up her mothers luggage and disappeared down the corridor to the room where Jackie would sleep. Behind her she left a very shocked, but inordinately happy, Prince Phillippe.

A/N : Well, you know the drill, you review and I update as soon as I can. I hope you're still enjoying where this is going because it's not over yet...


	12. NotSoYoung Love

A/N : I'm glad you all enjoyed chapter 11, it was one of my favourite chapters to write! I quite like this one too, so I hope you do too. Thanx to all my reviewers - you lot are the best. Thanx to; ndblue123, Angel, Cassandra Anthemyst, Crazy Canuck, Slytherin Chick, Starbright Moonlight, sapofbks2002, Becca, KrystinePotterLover.

Now, we've got Phillippe and Diana together, I think there's another couple we should deal with.....

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"What was that?"

The silence between Jackie and Lars was broken by a loud thump directly above their heads.

"I don't know" Lars replied to the woman opposite him. He moved over to the stairs and looked up. From his current position he could see nothing.

"Maybe it was..."

Jackie was not allowed to finish her setence, as Lars raised his hand to silence her. He was not sure what had made such a sound ad being the head of the palaces security it was his job to find out. He crept silently up the stairs and Jackie started to follow him.

"Go back down" he whispered to her.

"No way" she told him, "I'm not letting you go up there alone. Anybody or anything could be up there"

Lars decided to let her follow him. He knew from experience it was easier than arguing with the woman he loved so much. She had a severe stubbornness that he couldn't compete with and a nasty temper too, when she felt like it. It would be quicker and easier just to let her go with him. Plus it gave him a good feeling to know that she cared enough about him not to let him go on his own.

"Just stay quiet and be careful" he whispered as they continued to climb the stairs.

Half way up, Lars could see, on the landing, his daughter in the arms of the Prince, and Jackie's bags in a heap on the floor. He guessed what had happened. he had suspected something between Phillippe and Diana and he approved. he knew that the prince was a sensible and kind young man who would treat Diana well, though how such a man was going to cope with this miniature version of Jackie, was anybody's guess.

Lars smiled and turned to Jackie.

"I think we were worried over nothing" he said, pointing to the couple.

Jackie smiled too. She was amazed by what she saw, but from what she knew of the Genovian royal family, and in particular the young Prince, she was not unpleasantly surprised.

"I think we should leave them to it" she whispered and started to creep back down the stairs, with Lars close behind.

When they reached the bottom, he realised she was laughing to herself.

"What's the joke?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing" Jackie sighed, "they just reminded me of some other young people I once knew"

Lars knew exactly what she meant. Jackie and himself were the young people she referred to, and she was right. Diana was the spitting image of her mother and the prince, being tall and well built, did bear some resemblance to the young Lars, from the back at least.

"We're still 'young people'" he smiled, making it obvious that he knew what she'd meant.

"Don't be ridiculous" she continued to laugh at what he said, "We're not kids anymore, Lars"

"No, we're not" he told her, looking at her with perfect sincerity, "but you admitted we haven't changed"

She stopped laughing and turned to look at him properly.

"So?" 

"So, my feelings for you haven't changed either" he admitted. She blushed under his gaze, but then looked up and smiled.

"You have no idea how much I hoped you'd say that to me" she looked into his eyes, "I was scared about coming here, because I thought I might still have feelings for you, but as soon as I saw you, I knew it was true. Lars, I don't think I ever stopped loving you..."

Jackie did not get a chance to say anymore, as the man before her wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly.

As they broke apart, they both smiled.

"I never should have left you" he told her, pulling her close and hugging her tightly.

"I never should have told you too" she replied, hugging him too.

"We both made mistakes" he said, "but I don't want us to make anymore. I love you Jackie and I want us to work it out this time" he concluded, pulling back from her and looking into her eyes again.

"I love you too" she told him, honestly, before kissing him again, "and this time, it will work out" she added, as they broke apart. 

They both smiled as they stood in the palace foyer in each others arms, quite content to stay that way forever.

A/N : More coming soon. Please don't forget to REVIEW!


	13. Romance Never Dies

A/N : Well, the last chapter was Jackie&Lars and the one before that was Phillippe&Diana so it's about time we remembered another couple who are in love, the original couple themselves - Michael&Mia.

But before we get onto the story, just a quick thankyou for the reviews; ndblue123, Cassandra Anthemyst, KrystinePotterLover, Crazy Canuck, Starbright Moonlight, Ali - thanx to you peops for making me want to keep writing.

Now, on with the story...

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"Mia, will you come away from that door?!" Michael begged to his wife.

"I'm not doing any harm" she whispered, "I'm only looking"

"And how would you feel if we had people watching us when you thought we were alone?"

Mia rolled her eyes and moved away from the door. Smiling, she sat back down next to her husband.

"Thankyou" h sighed, glad his wife had actually paid attention to what he had said. The silence didn't last as Mia started to giggle.

"Now what?" Michael wanted to know.

"Do you want to know what I saw?" she smiled.

"Mia!" Michael sounded shocked at her question, but he couldn't help but laugh. He loved his wife so much, but she could be such a child.

"Oh come on, you know you want to know really?" she said, playfully, and Michael gave in.

"Go on then, tell me, I'm obviously not going to get any peace until you do!"

Mia moved in close to him as if to whisper a secret. She spoke in a low voice.

"I don't want to tell you, I want to show you" she said, before tipping her head and placing her mouth over his.

"Mom! Dad!" 

The impatient voice of the young prince echoed into the room, causing the Queen and her consort to part abruptly from their kiss. The door swung open and Phillippe burst in.

"Hey, I really need to talk to you" he said, immediately, closing the door behind him.

"Aren't Lars and Jackie out there" Mia gestured to the hallway, realising that her son may well have interrupted something on _both_ sides of the door.

"No, I don't know where they've gone" the prince said quickly, "but I need to talk to you about something important"

"Okay, we're listening" Michael told his son, causing Phillippe to suddenly take notice of his parents position. They were next to each other on the sofa with barely a centimetre between them.

"Did I interrupt something?" the young man asked, making a face, not exactly appreciating the mental image of his father and mother being 'together'.

"No, nothing" Mia smiled, nervously, "now, tell us what you came to tell us" she continued, shuffling across the sofa to put some distance between her and her husband.

"Oh yeah" Phillippe was reminded of his reason for originally entering the room. "I need your advice about something, it's about, well, okay, what I'm going to say is probably going to sound stupid but I'm going to ask you anyway, how do you know if you're in love? Y'know, like, _really_ in love?" The young man could hardly bring himself to look at his parents, which was probably a good thing given the amused expressions on the faces of the Queen and the Prince Consort.

"Well," Mia just about managed to speak without giggling, "there is no one way of knowing" she told him, "It's very hard to explain, you just, sort of, know"

"I'm guessing this is Diana that we're talking about" Michael checked. Phillippe only nodded, not willing to give a verbal answer for fear of further embarrassment.

"Then you need to give it some time" he told his son, "get to know her better, spend some time with her, then you'll know if what you think your feeling is real"

"Is that how it worked for you two?" Phillippe glanced up at his parents.

"Well, it was different for us" Mia explained, "I was best friends with your fathers sister, Aunt Lilly, so I got to know him as a friend first and then I realised what I felt for him" she smiled at her husband.

"I would agree with you," he said, "but the truth is, I felt more than friendship for you from the first time I met you"

Phillippe was pretty sure that whatever happened next was going to involve touching and kissing between his parents so he got up to make a quick exit.

"Okay, thanks, I'm going to go now"

His parents barely noticed their son slip out of the door as they fell into another passionate embrace.

On the other side of the door, Phillippe leaned against the wall and sighed. According to his parents it was best to get to know some one to know if you're in love, but then his father had practically admitted that love at first sight was possible. 

There was no doubt in Phillippe's mind anymore as he thought about the girl upstairs. He _was_ in love, but he wanted to make sure she felt the same. If she did, then he knew exactly what he wanted to do about it.

A/N : Please keep reviewing and I will keep updating as quickly as I can!


	14. 2 Months Later

A/N : Wow! I only updated yesterday and already I have eight reviews on the latest chapter! I've been spurred on by all your kind words and so I am ready to post another chapter again today.

Thanx to; Slytherin Chick (previous criticism is excused), sapofbks2002 (I've already planned something for M&M), dancing naked, Crazy Canuck, Cassandra Anthemyst, Lexi, KrystinePotterLover (maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong - you'll have to wait and see!), ndblue123.

Now, on with the next chapter... 

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

It hardly seemed possible that it was eight weeks since Diana had turned up at the palace, closely followed by her mother, Jackie.

For Lars and his ex-fiancé, it had been a thrilling if not nerve-racking moment as they finally saw each other again after more than sixteen years apart. Both of them knew at that moment, that the love they had felt before had never died. They were still very much in love with each other and Diana had been thrilled when she'd found out that her parents wanted to be together again. It was decided that Jackie and Diana would stay at the palace, as originally planned, on a semi-permanant basis. This gave Diana time to get to know her father ad it also gave Lars and Jackie a chance to catch up and become close again.

Diana staying at the palace was wonderful for Phillippe too. He ad thought he was in love with the girl from the start but now he was absolutely certain, and what made it perfect was that he was pretty sure she felt the same about him. Today, he would find out for sure how she felt.

"Phillippe?" Michael noticed his son in the hallway, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing" the boy answered quickly, pushing a small object, that he had been looking at, back into his pocket. Michael could not be bothered to be inquisitive.

"Okay, well, your mother's not feeling too well again this morning so I need you to go to the opening of the new museum on her behalf"

Phillippe looked immediately worried.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine" Michael smiled at his son's concern for Mia's well-being, "I just need you to do this for us today, okay?"

"Sure Dad, no problem" Phillippe smiled, checking his watch. "I better go and get ready" he turned to go back to his room, "tell Mom, I hope she feels better soon"

"I will" his father called behind him before heading back to his and his wife's room.

"Phillippe says he hopes you feel better soon" was the first thing Michael said as he came through the bedroom door, "and he said he'll go to the museum opening for you too"

"Really, Michael, I'm fine. It's just a little nausea" Mia assured him. 

"I know but it's the second time this week and I don't want you getting any worse" he sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her, "How do you expect to run a country if you're at deaths door?" he added, jokingly.

"I'll tell you when it happens" she smiled, "but right now I'm fine, nauseous, but fine"

"Well, you are staying in that bed" Michael ordered and Mia couldn't help but giggle.

"Whatever you say" she grinned, "so long as you're not going anywhere" her tone was a playful one and her husband smiled as he moved closer to her.

"And exactly what do you mean by that?"

She whispered her reply.

"Whatever you want it to mean"

Their lips were almost touching, but the kiss never happened. Mia's hand shot up to her mouth and she jumped off of the bed and ran into the en suite bathroom.

"Great," Michael sighed to himself and the bathroom door, "looks like today is going to be one of those days"

Phillippe was finally ready to leave the palace. It had taken over an hour to get ready but it had all been worth it. He was representing the royal family at this event and it was important that he looked his best, and he definately looked that. 

A whistle behind him made him turn quickly, and behind him he saw Diana.

"Someone looks especially good this morning" she grinned, and he started to walk back down the hall towards her.

"I have to go to the opening of the new museum, Mom's sick again" he explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry she's not feeling well" she sighed, "Actually I'm sorry you have to go too, I was hoping to spend some time with you this morning" she put her arms around him and he put his around her.

"I'm sorry too, but maybe we can do something fun this afternoon?" he tried.

"What did you have in mind?" she wanted to know.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see" he smiled, placing a quick and innocent kiss on her lips, "but now I really have to go" he sighed, moving his arm to check his watch again.

"Okay" she sighed, taking her arms from around his shoulders and looking him up and down. "You look great"

"Thanks" he said, looking down at his suit and checking his hair in the mirror close by, "I'll see you later, okay?" he added as he began to walk away.

"Definitely" she smiled.

As Phillippe walked away he couldn't help but grin to himself. Diana had no idea what he had planned for this afternoon. He knew she would be surprised by it, he only hoped she would be happy about it.

A/N : As usual, you review and I'll update ASAP.


	15. Girl Talk

A/N : Well, I'm managing to keep up my pace at the moment, of a chapter per day. Thanx to; dancing naked, Slytherin Chick, Crazy Canuck, Cassandra Anthemyst, Lexi, max4cast, Starbright Moonlight, sapofbks2002, Clavel, KrystinePotterLover, ndblue123, Liz - I'm so glad you're all still enjoying the story but I am not going to confirm or reject anybody's ideas about what is going to happen next. You will all just have to wait and see.

Now, on with the story...

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"Hey, baby, what's the matter with you?" Jackie asked her daughter as she noticed her sad expression.

"Nothing, really" the girl told her mother, "I just wanted to spend some time with Phillippe but he's had to go to that museum opening thing"

"Oh, I know, your father has gone with him" Jackie sighed, "looks like we've both been left behind, doesn't it, sweetheart?" she smiled and Diana did too.

"Yeah. Mom, I'm really glad you got back together with Dad, he's a really nice guy"

"Yes, he is" Jackie smiled some more, "and I'm glad you're glad. I'm also pleased that you and Phillippe are so happy together"

"Mom, do you think he really loves me?" Diana asked, and Jackie wished she hadn't. It was hard to tell if anyone was in love, even yourself, and with young people it was almost impossible.

"Well, he told you he was, didn't he?" she thought she'd play it safe.

"Yeah, but Dad loved you, he still left you" 

Jackie sighed.

"I know, honey, but I told your Dad to go. That's not to say that I didn't love him because I did, and I do, it's just...complicated"

Diana was silent for a moment and Jackie took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Michael told me Mia's not feeling well"

"Is she going to be okay?" Diana wanted to know.

"Oh yeah, I don't think it's anything serious, she's just sick that's all"

"Maybe I'll go see if she needs anything" Diana said thoughtfully, standing up and wandering out of the door.

Jackie knew that Mia would not need anything given the amount of staff she had to look after her, not to mention her husband, but she was grateful that Diana had found something else to do other than discuss 'the ways of the heart' with her.

Maybe whatever was bothering Diana could be sorted out by their friend the Queen of Genovia.

A tap on the door caused Mia's eyes to open. She had not been truly asleep, just resting, and she was beginning to feel less sick now.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Diana" the girl replied.

"Oh, come in" Mia called back, happy in the thought that she had such a nice visitor.

Diana opened the door and wandered in, an uncertain smile on her face.

"I heard you were sick. How are you feeling?" she said, carefully.

"I was sick" Mia smiled, "but I'm feeling much better now, thankyou"

"Good" Diana smiled widely now, "Mia can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course you can" the Queen said immediately, "Why don't you come and sit here" she signalled to the chair beside her bed, "and tell me what's on your mind"

The young girl took the seat she had been offered and immediately noticed the picture on the table beside the bed.

"Is that you on your wedding day?" she asked, pointing to the photo.

Mia smiled and picked up the photograph in its gold frame.

"Yes, that's me and Michael and Phillippe, just over two years ago now"

Diana looked thoughtful for a moment, but Mia didn't notice as she kept her eyes on the picture and remembered that day, the day of her second wedding - one of the happiest days of her life. 

"Mia, how did you know you were in love with Michael?"

The question brought the Queen out of her reminiscent trance.

"Pardon?"

"Well, you're in love with your husband, anyone can see how much, but how do you know when you're in love? How can you be sure it's real? And that the other person feels the same way?"

Mia sighed, put the picture back on the side and thought carefully as she made her answer.

"Diana, there is no real answer to your question" 

The young girl looked completely confused, and Mia continued her explanation.

"You see, when you're in love, truly, madly, deeply, well, sometimes you know it from the start. You see someone and you just know, instantly, that they're the one that you're supposed to be with. Other times, for some people, it takes longer. You get to know someone as a friend and then that friendship type of love develops into something stronger and then you're in love"

There was a few moments of silence as Diana's brain processed the information it had been given.

"So which way was it for you?" she asked, and Mia smiled, always more than happy to discuss the eternal love between herself and Michael.

"I knew Michael for years, his sister, Lilly, was my best friend from kindergarten and I guess I really liked him from the beginning but we were just kids. Then when we got older, we were good friends and that developed into what we have now. So I guess you could say it was a bit of both really"

"And you're still in love now?" Diana checked.

"Of course" Mia giggled at the absurdity of the question, "So why all the questions?"

"No reason in particular" Diana lied, "no reason at all"

At that moment, Michael burst in with a large bunch of roses.

"How's my girl feeling now?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm much better" Mia grinned and Diana excused herself to avoid seeing anything embarrassing.

"Was it something I said?" Michael smiled handing Mia the flowers and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"No," Mia said thoughtfully, "actually I think it was something I said. I just hope I said the right thing"

A/N : If you keep reviewing I will keep updating. There should be eighteen chapters in total to this story, so we are nearing the end, but please keep reviewing and I will write them and post them as quickly as I can for you.


	16. Guy Talk

A/N : Since ff.net has been down I've got two chapters at once for you! After this there will be just one more chapter and then this story is complete. Thanx tothe following people for the reviews; Crazy Canuck (I've got a couple of ideas for new stories, but I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do yet), Slytherin Chick, Cassandra Anthemyst, sapofbks2002, ndblue123, meghan (Mia was 20 when she got pregnant in the first story and now her son, Philippe, is 18 so she would be 38), Starbright Moonlight, Clavel, WNTrumpet, KrystinePotterLover.

Anyway, on with the story so all you guessers can find out if you're right about what's going to happen next... 

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

In the limousine, on the way to the museum, Phillippe and Lars travelled in silence, both deep in their own thoughts, until the younger man decided to speak.

"Lars can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Phillippe" the bodyguard smiled, always happy to help the prince if he could.

"Do you mind me liking Diana?"

Lars laughed slightly.

"Why would I mind that you like her? She likes you too"

Phillippe blushed a little at that but he smiled too.

"You love Jackie, don't you?" he asked next.

"Yes" Lars's answer came immediately, "I do love her, very much"

"Yeah, but how does she know that you do?" Phillippe continued to be inquisitive. Lars looked confused by the question, so the prince tried to clarify what he meant.

"I mean, you know that you love her, but how does she know how you feel? How do you tell her or show her?"

"I really think you should talk to your father about this sort of thing" Lars tried to back out of the conversation which was rapidly turning onto a topic that he was uncomfortable discussing with the young prince.

"What do you mean by..." Phillippe started before realising what Lars thought he meant, "Oh no, that's not what I meant!" The boy blushed a deep red and the bodyguard joined him, both equally embarrassed but Lars had to admit he was kind of relieved that nothing of that sort was going on between his daughter and the prince, at least not yet.

"So what do you mean?" Lars tried, but Phillippe was still too embarrassed for further conversation.

"It doesn't matter, really" he said, staring out of the car window.

"If you meant what is the best way to let a woman know that you care deeply for her, well then, that is a difficult question to answer" Lars explained, "What you do, what you say, everything is dependant on how you feel at the time. Your heart is the only one who can decide how you feel and what you want to say or do regarding those feelings" he sighed, "am I making any sense?"

Phillippe turned back to look at the older man, a smile on his face.

"You made perfect sense Lars" he said as the limo pulled up outside the museum.

"And thankyou" he added, as Lars moved to get out of the car.

"But I didn't do anything to require thanks" the bodyguard told him.

"You did" Phillippe said simply as Lars get out of the car and walked around to open the other door for the prince, "You did, more than you'll ever know" he said to himself.

"Dad?" Phillippe called, as he entered the palace. The museum had been opened and praised by the royal and he was impatient to get home to talk to his father.

"Dad?" he tried again and Michael appeared on the landing above him.

"Phillippe, must you yell like that?" his father asked him and Phillippe bounded up the stairs to the older man.

"Sorry, Dad, but I really need to talk to you. Oh but first how's Mom?" he said in a hurry as he reached his fathers side.

"She's better, actually, but I called the doctor just in case, he's with her now. Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I just wanted to check something really..." the young prince trailed off.

"Then tell me what it is, son" Michael urged him, leaning on the rail by the stairs.

"When I was a kid, I wasn't like betrothed to a baroness or something, was I?"

Michael tried very hard not to laugh but a chuckle escaped anyway.

"I'm sorry" he said, trying to breath through his laughter, "why would you think something like that?"

"Well, Mom had to marry Kenny when she couldn't marry you..." Phillippe said quietly.

"That was different" his father explained, suddenly turning serious, "You are free to marry whoever you choose, whoever you fall in love with"

The young prince smiled.

"Thanks Dad, that's all I needed to know" he said and then he was gone before Michael could say anything else. 'Was it possible that his son had ideas about Diana?' he wondered. He only hoped that if he was right, that she felt the same way Phillippe seemed to. He would hate to see his son broken-hearted, the way he had once been.

A/N : Now, on to the penultimate chapter.....


	17. Surprises

A/N : Nothing much to say except - keep reading!

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"Hi" a voice said behind her, a Jackie turned to see Lars in the open doorway of her room.

"Hi" she smiled, walking over to him and kissing him gently. "How was everything at the museum?" she asked.

"Oh fine, Phillippe did very well and there was no trouble" Lars told her as they went into the room and sat down.

"Jackie, I want to ask you something"

"Okay" she answered, trying to hide her nerves. Serious talks in a relationship almost always led to arguments or break-ups, well, in all the relationships she had had anyway, and this looked like it was definitely a serious conversation.

"On the way to the museum," Lars began, "I was talking to Phillippe about being in love and he made me realise just how much I was really in love with you" he smiled.

"You know I love you too" Jackie confirmed, and he nodded at that.

"Yes, and that's why I want to give you this" he said taking a small box from his pocket and opening it to reveal a diamond ring, "and ask you" he dropped onto one knee in front of her, "will you marry me?"

"Hey beautiful" Phillippe smiled, as he saw Diana coming down the hall.

"Hi" she grinned back at him, as she walked into his arms, "you got a few minutes spare for me now?" she said sarcastically.

"Well, let's see if I have a window in my schedule..." he copied her tone of voice, and kissed her deeply.

She smiled up at him as they parted.

"How was the museum thing?"

"Fine, the usual, boring thing. It would have been much better if you'd have been there" he told her, honestly. He took her by the hand now and they wandered down the hallway to one of the sitting rooms. They went inside and sat together on the sofa.

"You know I'm not allowed to go to these things" she told him, "not with you anyway, Dad said the press would have a field day if they found out, first that he had an illegitimate daughter and second that I was dating the heir to the Genovian throne"

"What if we weren't dating?" Phillippe said quickly and Diana was shocked. She couldn't believe that he would dump her like this, not after everything they'd meant to each other.

"What do you mean?" she checked, desperate not to cry in front of him no matter what his answer was.

"Well, you can't be seen in public with me as my girlfriend, but maybe if you were my fiancé..." he trailed off.

"Your fiancé? Phillippe are you asking me to marry you?" Diana was pleased that this was not the end of her relationship with the prince, but surprised by what he was suggesting, to say the least.

"If I was, what would you say?" he wanted to know but she wasn't sure herself.

"I don't know, I..."

Suddenly, Phillippe was on one knee in front of her, an open ring box in his hand.

"Diana, I love you, will you marry me?"

"And what are you doing out of bed?" Michael asked his wife as he returned to the bedroom they shared.

"I feel fine now" Mia assured him, "Besides the doctor told me what was wrong..."

"What is wrong?" he interrupted her and she laughed. "Mia, this isn't funny, what's wrong?"

"Thats the whole point" she smiled, "nothing is really _wrong_" she started to explain, "Michael, we're going to have another baby"

There was silence and Mia had to admit to herself that she was kind of worried about what her husbands reaction might be. She was pleased about her pregnancy and was almost certain that Michael would be too, but the look on his face right now was worrying her.

"Michael? Please tell me you're happy about this" she said as her smile faded.

"Happy?" he repeated, "No, I'm not happy, Mia, I'm ecstatic!" he admitted, moving over to her and hugging her tightly. Her smile returned now. "How long until it's born?"

"The doctor thinks about seven to seven and a half months" she explained, "I just can't believe it. We're going to be parents again!" she laughed.

"And this time I'm going to be here the whole time" Michael said, seriously, "I made the mistake of not seeing my first child grow up, I'm not going to make the same mistake twice"

"Good" Mia smiled, "I'm so glad you're happy about this, because _I_ have never been so happy as I am right now"

A/N : Please keep reviewing and I will get the final chapter of this up ASAP.


	18. Revelations and Celebrations

A/N : Wow! I can't believe how many reviews I've got! Double thanx to; KrystinePotterLover, Crazy Canuck, Starbright Moonlight, Slytherin Chick, who all reviewed twice (ie both new chapters) and also big thanx to; macdeniken, CrazyNut2002, FormerAngel, MeLLoDraMatic, sapofbks2002, Tetris, lil-lost-angel, ndblue123, Cassandra Anthemyst. You are all so great for reviewing and being so kind about my story. 

Here is the final chapter. I hope you all approve of the ending to this one, and I hope this chapter also answers any questions you had.

(Disclaimer : see chapter 1)

"Will you marry me?" 

"Yes, Lars" Jackie had to fight back tears of joy, "yes I will marry you, and this time I won't change my mind"

He slipped the ring onto her finger with a huge smile on his face and then he kissed her.

"You've just made me the happiest man in the world" he told her, but he did not know that he had competition for that title in a room just down the hall.

"It's incredible" Michael smiled widely, "I just can't believe how this happened"

"Well, it's not complicated" Mia told him, "and if you don't understand the science by now..."

"Mia," he interrupted, "You know what I mean"

"Yes, I know what you mean" she smiled, "I'm just so relieved I'm not really sick, but I guess I should get used to feeling like this in the mornings"

Michael sighed as he thought about the future.

"Oh my god, Lilly's going to be an aunt all over again, she'll be thrilled. It'll be another cousin for her kids, another grandkid for your Mom and Frank and my parents, a brother or sister for Phillippe..."

"Michael calm down" Mia laughed at his excitement.

"Why should I calm down?" he wanted to know, "I want to tell everyone, I want them all to know how happy I am"

Down the hall some more happiness was beginning...

"Diana, I love you, will you marry me?"

"Phillippe, you're crazy" she said in shock, "We're too young! You're eighteen, I'm sixteen, you're a prince and I'm nobody..."

"I don't want to hear that! You are not nobody! You, Diana, you are everything to me, and I don't care how long I have to wait or what anybody else thinks, I love you and I want to marry you. So, will you marry me?" he tried again.

She smiled down at him, knowing in her heart what her answer must be.

"I love you too" she said, "and yes, I will marry you"

The feeling of elation that the young prince felt was like to other he had ever felt before. The girl he loved had agreed to marry him, that was all he wanted and now he'd got it. He took the ring from the box and placed it on her left hand, before moving to sit net to her again.

"Thankyou" he whispered and they kissed each other gently.

"You're welcome", she smiled, "and you're right, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, I love you so much"

"Diana!" the two young people were pulled out of their happy daze by the sound of the girls mother calling her name. The two jumped up and made for he door. As soon as they had opened it, Jackie and Lars were upon them.

"Diana, we have something to tell you" the woman smiled.

"We have something to tell you too" her daughter told her.

"We're engaged!" the four said together. Silence would have followed if not for the woman who had recently appeared in a doorway a few feet away.

"You're all engaged?!" Mia screamed with delight as she rushed out towards her son and future in laws. Michael followed her and there was much handshaking amongst the men and hugging amongst the women.

"Well, now I suppose we should share our news" Mia smiled. She turned to Michael, allowing him t do the honours.

"Mia's pregnant, we're going to have a baby!" he smiled, and more shrieks and laughter and hugs and handshakes were exchanged.

Two weddings and a new arrival.

The Genovian palace was going to be a busy place over the next year or so, and all because of the royal family, and their friends, and the good fortune they had had with their Sons And Daughters.

A/N : And that's it! The End. Please review so I know if you liked it or not and I hope to return soon, with a new fic.


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